19.19 and 9.58. It’s been nearly two decades since Usain Bolt set those marks, and yet few have come close. Noah Lyles has spent years chasing Bolt’s shadow; four consecutive world 200m titles matched, yet the world record lies out of reach. The two men exist in a complicated space, where Lyles’ respect for Bolt is genuine but his hunger to surpass him is undeniable. So, when the pair linked up at the FIFA World Cup semifinal, Lyles made an interesting choice on how to caption the moment.

The 28-year-old showed his trademark cockiness, tagging the post “The Fastest”.

The furthest thing from subtle, although it does fit the theme. After all, Bolt is still the reigning fastest man in the world, while Lyles is the fastest American. In fact, since the Jamaican sprint icon set the 200m record in 2009, only four men in the 2020s have broken into the top 10. Lyles (19.31 in 2022) is the fastest of them, with Letsile Tebogo (19.46) the closest challenger.

Since Bolt retired in 2017, the American superstar has been the dominant force in 200m sprinting. Only Tebogo (2024) has ended a season with a faster time than Noah Lyles since 2018. So, in nearly eight years, a period that included four straight World Championship titles and two Olympic bronze medals, Lyles has dominated seven of them.

He is the fastest American over 200m, with only Kenneth Bednarek (19.57) behind him as the closest challenger, although Bednarek sits in joint fifth place on the all-time list of Americans, tied with Justin Gatlin. More importantly, few athletes have been as vocal as Lyles about breaking the benchmarks set by Usain Bolt. Since he was strong enough to do it, Lyles has been adamant that his target remains the Jamaican.

And the now 39-year-old has taken that rather well, even egging Lyles on. In fact, during the American’s documentary, aired in 2024, Bolt even said, “Keep your same attitude. The sport needs that s**t. We need personality.”

That was in reference to Lyles’ talk about breaking the records, and the 28-year-old appreciated that more than anyone expected. He even praised Bolt for the way the Jamaican has acted in light of several challengers coming for his marks.

“It’s very nice to have somebody almost pass on that source because, like you said, a lot of people do not like that energy,” Lyles told Citrus Mag in 2024. “But at the same time, you want the sport to grow. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too. It’s one or the other.”

However, the 28-year-old has somewhat eased off that talk since the 2024 Olympics. There, Lyles was thoroughly beaten to the finish line by Tebogo, finishing third. It echoed what happened at the 2021 Olympics, where the American finished behind Andre De Grasse and Bednarek on that night.

Even as Lyles continues to chase the record, Bolt has never publicly dismissed the possibility that it will eventually fall. In fact, the Jamaican has repeatedly addressed the question of whether he believes Lyles has what it takes to rewrite history.

Usain Bolt opens up on Noah Lyles breaking his record

It’s been 18 years since Usain Bolt broke Michael Johnson’s 19.32 in the 200m, and 17 years since he broke his own mark. And so far, the Jamaican sprint king’s records have stood the test of time although he’s had a few challengers. Yohan Blake, Justin Gatlin and company tried when Bolt was active and failed; now Noah Lyles and company are trying.

However, the closest has undeniably been Lyles, especially after he broke Bolt’s record for the most sub-20 200m sprints in 2023. The Jamaican clocked 34 over his career, while Lyles crossed that mark three years ago and has since added to it. Even then, Bolt’s 19.19 time remains an elusive distance away, with Noah Lyles struggling to break that sub-19.30 mark right now.

It’s likely why Bolt cheekily answered Graham Norton’s question, “It seems inconceivable now, but presumably someone, at some point, will beat your world records?”

“You can see into the future? I don’t think so, I don’t think so. That’s how confident I am,” Bolt replied on The Graham Norton Show in 2018.

The now 39-year-old has changed his tune over the years, with time proving to be the ultimate levelling force. In fact, in a 2024 interview with Citrus Mag, he even praised Lyles and claimed that “if he corrects a few things, I won’t say, he could get better. The possibility is there.”

Even then, Bolt remained his cheeky self in the interview and added,‘”I won’t say [what he needs to correct]. I won’t tell you how to break the world record.”

For now, Bolt still owns the records while Noah Lyles keeps chasing them, one race at a time. Their World Cup meeting was a reminder that admiration and ambition can coexist.